Land and landscape: commons .
Thoughts and ideas to work for the government of the territory
Because we wanted to organize this moment of reflection on land and landscape, such as joint property? Following approval of the Plan of Territorial Address by the Tuscany Region, the implementation regulations on the rural area and the subsequent adoption of the ITP with landscape value, we felt it necessary to arrange a time for reflection to help lay the foundations for political culture on which to initiate proceedings for variation of maintenance of the Territorial Coordination Plan with regard to the rural area. This reflection becomes then necessary to implement the new legislation on regional farm and even urgent, about the need to identify a specific provision on the location of installations for the production of energy from renewable sources to be included in the provincial Energy Plan, which is useful to preserve farmland and landscape. In a necessary overview, in fact, that is clear from reading Article. 9 of the Italian Constitution, also mentioned in the program of study day.
Recent news reports (and, unfortunately, not only those) relating to disasters caused by rainfall in Liguria and in other parts of the country, the heavy consequences on the environmental and hydrogeological evidence of inefficient use choices Soil and tell of a land raped, with clearly the absolute relevance of the theme of the territorial government.
We come to think of "home". Data on land use in the Province of Pisa between 1995 and 2005, although striking dimensions not testify to a progressive mismatch between the consumption of land for builders and the growth of population and industrial employment: while growth in terms of percentage of the population of 3.18% and an unchanged since the industrial employment in the decade studied was an increase of urbanized land for production of 78.38% and 9.50% for residential (difference total period of urbanized land +20.46%). The obvious consequence is the erosion of rural areas directly and indirectly, with impacts on consumption of energy and land resources, impact on greenhouse gas emissions and therefore climate change; unnecessary consumption of land, if the result is the presence of empty warehouses and unsold apartments. If the annuity is that it is, rather than responding to needs, we have perhaps forgotten that the origin of the financial crisis and economic crisis lies in the consequences of speculation and rent?
E 'from these considerations and in light of these assessments that requires a real change in political culture. Economic development can not be separated from the territory and its centrality, through recognition on the important social and collective.
The territory is not only the land and the society that live there, but the real assets (physical, social, cultural) that have a community, the collective value that, if exploited and defended rather than consumed and destroyed, is the key resource for development and quality of life of communities.
The landscape, then, must increasingly assume the role of territorial reference for the proper use of resources. The water, soil, the city, infrastructure, landscapes, countryside, forests, public spaces are goods to be treated with a view not only qualitative and quantitative. Are the particular characteristics by which we can overcome and solve the most important ecological crises (health, climate, food, energy, biodiversity ...). But to do this, then, land and landscape must once again become central in public policy, and be seen and recognized as common goods, ie goods that can not be sold or usucapiti. In regard to the tasks of planning, the territory must be considered a public good, as it constitutes the essential environment for breeding material of human life and the realization of socio-cultural relations and public life. Treat it as public goods is no longer sufficient. To make cash now, we also sell the state property, risk particularly accentuated by a "certain" federal state property!
Back consequently the function of the central government of the territory and therefore the planning activities, as the only instrument that can mitigate - if not resolve - the conflict between rent and collective interest. Since
the rural area that subject to erosion, it is precisely from the specificity of the same rural area (as a forestry area) that you need to start any discussion on planning. Rural areas are the place of conservation and reproduction of natural resources and at the same time, the place of food production. The fertile lands are a limited resource and non-renewable subject to considerable risks. In Italy in the last 40 years we have lost 5 million hectares of agricultural land in the Province of Pisa, about 2000 hectares in 10 years. The risks, therefore, for a food crisis are already visible: the needs of the Italian food consumption needs of 48 million hectares of usable agricultural area, Italy has only 16 million hectares of UAA. Along with this data, plus the impacts of industrial model of agricultural production, a highly energy-intensive model, which consumes about 60% drinking water on the planet, market-oriented, "made to sell" large quantities in any season, encouraged by the rules of globalization in agricultural, determines apparent contradictions and the social and environmental consequences in terms of pollution due to the need of moving goods, consumption of resources, loss of biodiversity.
Big cities like New York (and elsewhere) are devoting increasing attention to these issues. In New York in particular, starting from the analysis of health data, it is proceeding with public funding at the reopening of the district with shops selling food fresh. As the Provincial Administration of Pisa, born from collective action in recent years in spontaneously or at the instigation of local government (local markets, shops producer, GAS, information and awareness projects in schools) we have started the path to the definition, structuring and subsequent adoption of the Plan of Food of the province, with which we intend to relate and build that network of mutual "interest" between the needs of local communities and the productive capacity of the local system, highlighting the bonds (now invisible) which are, in order to enhance the effectiveness of initiatives and respond to two requirements: protection of health and quality of life of citizens on the one hand, the structuring of a satisfactory model for local economic organizations of our other territories. It 's a matter of health and quality of life of citizens, not just a problem on the environment.
addition to the risks to the food emergency there are those, we mentioned at the beginning, encouraging the spread of related facilities for the production of energy from renewable sources, against which there is absolute need for specific guidelines on locations that preserves farmland and landscape (as he says, in fact, art. 9 of the Italian Constitution).
is opening a new era in the government land in Tuscany is based on the following guidelines set out by President Rossi: containment of land use; new relationship between levels of government, the centrality of territory in the new Regional Development Plan. The Plan of Territorial address, its significance in the Regional Landscape Plan, at various points highlights the urgent need to protect the agricultural landscape, avoiding the creation of works and infrastructures, which are in conflict with the connotations of that identity. The road is shown and we intend to follow it! Hoping for a legislative review process of the Regional Law 1, recovering some aspects more explicit in the Act 5. So, revitalization of urban and territorial planning, based on the principles (and rules) of territorial and social cohesion that is focused on its use and control of land use.
Who are the enemies of a balanced government of the territory?
· Meanwhile, all those who deny the role and needs of those provinces, which are the appropriate authority for planning large area (the level identified by the European Union policy of integrated territorial development);
· The deregulation of urban planning. The market can not ensure the provision of public goods, especially in the presence of assumptions irreversibility of choices (the urbanized land is permanently removed from the natural) and production of externalities that are not in any way taken into account if not production costs or additional revenue, in addition, housing markets are in the hands of too few subjects;
· The crisis of public finances, which could increase the use of infrastructure costs or sale of assets as the sole source of funding for local authorities to provide services to the community or to make investments in infrastructure.
What, however, possible remedies?
On the cultural level, it must recover the sense of the centrality land and understand that there is a "limit" ecological and social consumption of natural resources. What is needed is a different relationship between man and environment. On the regulatory
, need to clearly define the levels of planning, the exclusive jurisdiction and the cogency of programming tools. Particular attention should be paid to the risks of too great a craving for "simplification" of the procedures. Not always the simplification process is itself an asset, for example, reducing dramatically the number of actors involved in public decision-making process may run the risk of increased fragmentation and excessive competition among municipalities.
At the operational level , should be encouraged between local voluntary associations, to be carried on with courage and consistency of planning decisions. The plan should not result in a "summation of the desiderata of the Administration must provide choices and participation and contribution of local communities and social networks. Compared to this, in the Province of Pisa have been initiated the experience of the Structure Plan and the Agreement of the Planning Pisana Union of municipalities of the Era. The ability to ensure success in these innovative experiences will depend very much on the practical implementation of standard policies of equalization. These policies should not be based on the redistribution of land use decisions, but the acquisition of some of the revenue from land development also shared between the municipalities that have not seen the growth of the urbanization on their territory (for example, through the associated management functions or forms consortium management of areas for settlements). The land use decisions, the management of functions and tools must be defined in terms of area, overcoming the limits of a vision "of a bell tower." Also at the operational level, we need a schedule that PTC territory and natural resources and providing a vision for Territorial unit and strategic and is not a book of suggestions " without cogency, as, unfortunately, has designed the LR1.
The working day of last October 7 wanted to be a contribution to the general cultural-political debate, but also the occasion for a reflection for our common work. An opportunity to listen to learn. Why to govern, we must first know and understand, we must first consider, even listening to ideas and contributions of high cultural and scientific value.
Councillor James Sanavio planning and urbanisticaProvincia Pisa
